Here we go again...

I'm going to echo what I said on Twitter about "The Big Three" post on my blog since this where I feel safe speaking up. I'm very sorry I had to direct it at Valhalla who have been Melissa/Carol/Caryl fans' biggest ally on social media up to this point, even using #TheBookofCarol tag to let us know they see her as the main protagonist that she is. I'm also very sorry that as of today, we've reached the two-year mark since the news of the original spinoff's cancelation and this fandom still has to fight for the respect that they and Melissa herself have more than earned. Again, this is why we need a new showrunner with the intuition and authority to change the messaging on the show and on SM, so that Caryl fans not only feel safe, but also eager to watch, pay for, and engage with new material.

I saw that Valhalla acknowledged Carylers' complaints on their post. I wasn't expecting that. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think any other official account has ever put the needs of the fans over their own need to save face, so I respect and appreciate that. The comments were filling up with voices from other parts of the fandom trying to give Valhalla an out, but it's easy for them to ignore or in some instances mock the issue because their favorite character is represented and they get the satisfaction of a character they hate being left out and her fans being upset about it. It's easy and probably fun for them to accuse us of throwing tantrums, invalidating a very real source of pain for many of us.

There is a long history of fandom bullying and ageism directed at Melissa/Carol/Caryl and their fans to the point of many people, including Melissa herself, having to leave SM. The other factions claim we're a minority, but in reality we're just less active in public spaces because we're made to feel like we don't belong. Caryl fans are very much like the characters in that way and unfortunately other fans and other official accounts take advantage of that.

What happened exactly two years ago has broken our trust and our spirits even more. A lot of us are teetering on the edge of leaving because we're tired of being gaslit and strung along. We're vulnerable and we have triggers. In order to keep engaging with TWD content, we have to feel like its worth it, which means we need to know that the show and everyone affiliated are meeting our needs: that Melissa and Carol are acknowledged for the HUGE impact they've had in the story since S1, not how much they are marketed, and that Caryl is treated like a valid ship.

We need strong leadership for that. Valhalla is a female-led account, so they have the authority to tackle the issues that the actresses and their female fanbases face. A female showrunner would help with that as well. TBOC is fast-approaching, The promotion should focus on hyping the core audience of that show, not alienating them further. We deserve so much better. Melissa deserves so much better. Caryl deserver so much better.

Book of Carol. Melissa McBride, Norman Reedus to appear at the Tribeca Film Festival Festival in NYC June 2024.

I'm looking forward to hearing what Melissa and Norman have to say about their individual and shared character arcs. It's been a long couple years, and I really want TBOC to be a wonderful experience for Caryl fans. I want the story to be everything that Daryl and Carol deserve.

What's important to me is that Daryl and Carol stay true to themselves, get to go on adventures together as an established couple, confront their traumas in powerful ways, and help each other heal and grow and get stronger. Those adventures could happen anywhere. I don't care. They just need to be in the right hands.

Home is where they're together. It doesn't matter where Daryl and Carol are headed as long as they get to tell their story as they want to, with a showrunner who honours them and is as invested in their future as we are.

We already know they have a future. But in the right hands it's a bright and shiny one.

What's important to me is that Daryl and Carol stay true to themselves, get to go on adventures together as an established couple, confront their traumas in powerful ways, and help each other heal and grow and get stronger. Those adventures could happen anywhere. I don't care. They just need to be in the right hands.

Norman and Melissa as Daryl and Carol in 205 of The Book of Carol. I need their reunion to be everything we've been waiting for, even better than Terminus.

Having showrunners/EPs who are all "the same," and only hire other creative voices (i.e. all of the directors for S1 and S2) who are also "the same" severely limits the character development for both Carol and Daryl who are far more nuanced than what S1 showed us. That "same" perspective can't reach enough of Caryl's fanbase, which is largely female and also includes a lot of men/boys who don't fit the "conventional" mold (hypersexual, confident, natural-born leader). Yes, AMC can and should give us an experienced female showrunner who knows how to write these characters for their fans because that's the only way to grow viewership. Along with explicit canon, that is also dealbreaker for me.

This is gross. The fans want Melissa. AMC needs these fans. What exactly is the problem? Season 1 ratings were abysmal when they followed the three stooges' vision. Why wouldn't they give Melissa a chance? They have everything to gain from her increased involvement.

Anon,

They have two options. Make a hit show or placate the triumvirate. There's no world where a compromise makes everyone happy, but they can make their viewers very happy and profit from it big time. We saw what happened when they picked the triumvirate. Do I need to bring up the numbers again? Post screenshots of what fans want?

They clearly have a big problem that needs fixing. Let her fix it. They should give her what she wants and close asap.

Something that would make me feel a lot more secure about Caryl's future is a showrunner who understands their relationship as deeply as we do and can easily convey that in the show as well as in the media. All this money was presumably spent on making the show look good, but if there's one thing Caryl fans aren't, it's superficial. The story has to grip us, which means the showrunner has to deliver the romantic beats we want in ways that will allow Carol and Daryl to grow together. She (because a female showrunner can write for strong female characters like Carol and speak to the growing number of female viewers with money to spend) has to balance a strong character narrative with an external plot that feels grounded despite all the zombies. That's what made the first few seasons of TWD work so well. That's where the money should go. The writing. AMC should also take note of how excited Caryl fans were to see Melissa get that EP title. We trust her voice. A lot. We trust her instincts. A lot. We would trust her choice in a showrunner, so maybe she should have a big say, and maybe she should even get the chance to co-showrun. That’s a Caryl spinoff I’d come running for.

To find home is to find each other. TWD: DARYL DIXON - THE BOOK OF CAROL coming 2024!

MELISSA MCBRIDE returns as CAROL TWD: DARYL DIXON 1.06 Coming Home

We Have a Future?

I bring this over to you from Twitter as well as a long thread I made about a potential future for Caryl. 

I’m taking the rumors of their spinoff as *rumors* for now, but it feels like a good time to talk about what I’d love to see if it’s true and more importantly, what I would subscribe to AMC+ plus for: 

1. An Explicit Caryl Romance

The “will they, won’t they” trope is supposed to be resolved by the series finale and we are now past that. We can take the “I love you’s” as canon or not, but it comes across as intentionally straddling the fence and for what? Caryl is one of the biggest ships on television. They have the support of the general audience, casual viewers, the writers, cast, and crew, so there’s no need to keep pandering to the least common denominators. Caryl’s relationship also aids representation, reminding viewers that people over 50 can fall in love, that a female love interest can have gray hair, and that a male love interest can display lower levels of sexual behavior. But that’s only effective if AMC shows they’re willing to commit. After 12 years, it’s time to go big or go home. 

2. Open Conversation about Caryl’s Romance 

There’s a reason the Caryl fandom thinks so highly of LaToya Morgan. She validates our perspective, she’s openly passionate about the ship, and she gets us hyped. Imagine how many fans would come running if more people associated with the show were allowed to do the same instead of having to toe the company line in the media, which only furthers the problematic viewpoint that Caryl couldn’t possibly be more than friends. 

3. A Daryl AND Carol Show 

Anything more than a cameo in the upcoming six episodes may be “logistically untenable,” but if Carol really is going to appear in the end, it should amount to something big like a reunion that tops No Sanctuary and it should set up the alleged next season for Norman AND Melissa to co-lead.

4. Equal Screentime 

One of S11’s worst crimes was minimizing Carol’s arc. She’s one of TWD’s strongest characters and she shouldn’t have to live in the shadows of every other character’s story or remain on kitchen duty. She can be a weapon of mass destruction, sure, but I want to see emotional growth for her too and not just retroactively.

5. Shared Screentime 

They may not be each other’s appendages, but Caryl do have insane amounts of chemistry that fans tune in for, so it should go without saying they need to share scenes together and more specifically, they need to share an arc that allows them to grow together as a couple. 

6. Meaningful Interactions 

Caryl’s relationship is so deep, they often don’t need words, but in no way should that limit their interactions to lingering stares. I want them to engage in conversation with each other, and I want those conversations to deepen their relationship even more. 

7. No. More. Shipbaiting.

It’s tiresome, it insults the characters, actors, and the audience, and it’s not worth paying money for. If I’m going to be pulled in, it’ll be by something I love, not something I don’t. 

8. Strong Leadership 

Representation offscreen matters too and if Caryl’s story is going to continue, then they need a showrunner who knows how to write character-driven narratives and specifically understands Daryl’s and Carol’s characters/relationship. An upper class white man who’s too focused on his own lore would not be the right fit . 

9. Story Integrity 

Norman, Melissa, and the writers spent years developing a beautiful narrative for Caryl, and I don’t want to see any of it retconned in service of the lore. 

10. Payoff

To be clear, I don’t think this was “the writers’” fault at all, but S11 and the spinoff debacle have left so many holes in Caryl’s story that many fans have come to expect disappointment at every turn and nobody wants to pay to be let down. If AMC delivers on the promises they set up on or offscreen, I will be there, but not a second sooner.

Thank you again to everyone participating in the blitz! :) 

We can definitely spend more time going over how these interviews really function, highlighting the interviewer’s bias and Angela’s diplomatic answer. But ultimately, Angela has moved on to greener pastures and Donnie is dead. Meanwhile, there is all this talk of Caryl having more story, so as Caryl fans, let’s channel all our energy into that possibility. Let’s talk about what we want to see in those stories, what we’re willing to pay for, and what we want in a showrunner. 

My inbox is open. Also, a lot of us will be tweeting our thoughts on #Caryl this Sunday (12/4) at our usual blitz time of 9am PT / 12pm ET. Hope others will join. With everything going on, it’s a good time to be heard :)

MELISSA MCBRIDE as CAROL PELETIER THE WALKING DEAD 11.24 ▶ Rest in Peace [request by @queen-carol]

CAROL & DARYL + 3 words, 8 letters only meant for each other 9x16 // 11x04 // 11x24 [request by @satireplz]

MELISSA MCBRIDE aka CAROL PELETIER THE WALKING DEAD: Making Of The Final Season